Northern Israel rattled by 3.6 magnitude earthquake

No injuries or damage reported; Beit She'an area felt quake the strongest but actual source has yet to be identified.

An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale was felt by residents in the Jordan Valley area on Saturday evening. No injuries or damage were reported.

In the area reaching from Safed to Beit She'an to Tiberias, police received dozens of phone calls from residents saying they thought an earthquake was happening. Many residents hurried out of their homes looking for a safe place, with some seeking refuge in bomb shelters and stairwells.

According to the calls, Beit She'an residents felt the earthquake the strongest, although the actual source of the quake has not yet been identified.

A resident of the Jordan Valley kibbutz, Ashdot Ya'akov Ihud, told Haaretz that the earthquake felt strong. Harel Peleg said he was worried at the time that something serious would happen, but shortly after realized that it was just a weak quake.

At the end of November last year, an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was recorded in the Upper Galilee region, which is also in the northern region of the country.